James Foley, 39, of Rochester, N.H., was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in northwest Syria on Thanksgiving Day, his family announced.

"We want Jim to come safely home, or at least we need to speak with him to know he's OK," said Foley's father, John Foley. "Jim is an objective journalist, and we appeal for the release of Jim unharmed. To the people who have Jim, please contact us so we can work together toward his release."

Foley is a freelance journalist and conflict zone reporter. In the past, he has covered conflicts in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Foley, who contributed videos to Agence France-Presse (AFP), was traveling with another reporter, whose family has requested that that he not be identified.

In April 2011, while on assignment for GlobalPost, Foley and two other journalists spent 44 days in a Libyan prison before being released.

"Over the past nearly six weeks we have been working intensively with many parties in the United States and in the Middle East to secure Jim Foley's freedom so he can return home to his loving family," GlobalPost CEO and Founder Philip S. Balboni said in a statement.